Kays Translations

Chapter 59 - The Defense of the Capital

『『『『Born from nothingness, the fireball turns into a blaze, defeating the enemies...』』』』

While suppression fire from longbows was underway, the incantations of the four, excluding Nicolette, began, and orange light spheres floated above their heads.

The light spheres of Liddell and Karina were about the same size, while the other two were about two sizes smaller.

Karina, who had recently started training in ancient magic, had developed quite well, and her Fire Blast was starting to look impressive.

On the other hand, Liddell had improved considerably since before, but he couldn't handle it as well as Karina or Marcela.

Due to Karina's significantly lower absolute magic power, Marcela, who poured more magic power into her light sphere, ended up with the same size.

"Take this!!"

When the magic creatures had advanced a certain distance, a command came from Felix.

『『『『Fire Blast!』』』』

The four spells were completed, and the light spheres flew towards the group of enemies, drawing orange bands as they went.

And they landed.

Boom! With a thunderous roar, the four explosions blew away the front row of magic creatures.

"Gyaaah!!!"

"Bummooo!!!"

The cries of the dying could be heard, but the situation couldn't be assessed due to the thick dust.

『Wind, swirl in the direction I point. Tornado!』

Nicolette's wind magic then activated, blowing away the dust.

Tornado, a useful magic that could control a small tornado for a few seconds, didn't have direct lethality, but it was handy.

When the dust cleared, nearly 20 magic creatures at the forefront were blown away.

The formation collapsed, and the remaining creatures spread out to avoid the small craters created by the magic, running towards the gate.

"I'll hit them again in the center, so please deal with the ones on the left and right!"

Seeing this, Nicolette gave the next instruction while starting her own incantation.

『Born from nothingness, the fireball turns into a blaze, defeating the enemies... Fire Blast!』

A larger light sphere than Liddell had conjured earlier flew towards the enemies. Although Nicolette was not perfect, her proficiency in her favored magic was approaching the original power of ancient magic. With the addition of her innate abundant magic power, the blow landed just behind the crater created by the initial fire magic, in the middle of the enemy group.

Boom! With another thunderous roar, about 20 magic creatures in that area lost their lives.

Magic from Annemarie and Marcela, who had prepared themselves, flew towards the creatures that had spread out to the sides.

『Wind, become overlapping blades and fly. Blast Edge!』

『Arrows of stones piercing holes are born from the void. Stone Hail!』

It was a combo of wind magic and earth magic used by Selfers and his group. Invisible blades and stones accelerated by a gust, along with the earlier fire magic, wreaked havoc, annihilating more than a third of the enemies.

Still, more than 100 magic creatures remained behind, rushing towards the gate without being deterred by the corpses of their comrades.

And...

"Gyagyagyaaah!!!"

"Bubbubumomoo!!!"

A magic creature that stepped on the embedded Scorching Floor screamed and jumped.

Fortunately, those on either side managed to avoid burns by jumping aside, but the creature that ran into the middle suffered greatly.

Even after landing, its feet burned, and it fell, getting its hands burned. Unable to escape as it wanted due to allies following behind, even if it somehow escaped the Scorching Floor, it couldn't stand properly and became incapacitated. The magic creature that couldn't escape was burned on the spot.

By the time the entire group realized that the ground near the gate was dangerous, more than 30 of them had become incapacitated.

"What an intense trap... As imagined, it's quite something to see it in person."

While wrinkling her nose at the smell of the burning creatures, Nicolette muttered.

"Yeah... That might be something you shouldn't use against people... Well, if it were humans, they could quickly bring wood and put it on, so it would be manageable."

Even the creator, Isamu, frowned.

"But if we say something too soft, we might end up being done in ourselves... Its effectiveness is just that high. Isamu-san, please be proud!!"

Concerned, Annemarie followed up on Isamu.

"Nyaon."

Even while perched on Isamu’s shoulder, Orihime gently rubbed her face against him.

"It's okay! I've mentally prepared for it when I made it... Whether we do it or get done in is the only option."

While gently stroking Orihime's forehead with his fingertip, Isamu answered strongly.

The magic creatures that could no longer approach the gate recklessly were being picked off as they tried to cling to the walls with bows or single-shot magic.

For the part with the Scorching Floor, some creatures tried to do something about it by hitting it with sticks or similar objects, but they ended up being excellent targets for bows as well.

The Scorching Floor, while initially deceptive, becomes manageable once you understand its pattern and range. However, if it's embedded in a location you can't avoid, some form of action is necessary to pass through.

The quickest solution is to shoot several powerful fire-based spells, similar to what Nicolette and her group used, into the ground. If the opponent were human, they might eventually come up with such a solution after some time, but goblins and orcs aren't that clever. The attack continued, gradually reducing their numbers.

After about 30 minutes without significant changes, the two ogres at the rear finally stepped forward.

Although they had been visible since the start of the battle, they stayed out of the range of bows and magic until now.

"They've finally shown themselves... We don't know what they'll do, so be cautious! Once they're in range, be prepared to shoot them all at once!"

Instructions from Nicolette were given.

"Grahh! Gugogoa, Guga!"

Timing their movements, they stopped their advance just before entering the effective range and seemed to be giving some commands.

Observing, it became apparent that they were gathering burned goblins and orcs that were lying around.

Once a sufficient number had gathered, they casually picked up one by its head.

"Gyah?! Gyagyagya!!"

Although still alive despite the burns, the goblin raised a bewildered voice while struggling.

And then, it was thrown forward.

The thrown goblin traced a parabolic path and landed in front of the gate.

"Gyagyaa!!!"

With a loud noise as it was slammed down, the goblin's screams echoed over the Scorching Floor.

"What...!? What are they doing? Instead of throwing them at the gate or wall, they're just throwing them into that... Oh!!? Crap, is that what they're doing!"

Isamu, who had been pondering why they were doing such a thing, arrived at a simple conclusion.

"What? What do you mean?"

"It's a cover! They've put a cover on top of the Scorching Floor using their incapacitated allies!"

"No way!"

Looking at where they had been thrown, goblins and orcs were now scattered across the Scorching Floor.

Seeing this, the surviving goblins and orcs rushed towards the gate, venting their frustration like a dam bursting, starting to break the gate. Additionally, the ogres were closing in.

"Except for Liddell and Marcela, everyone else, attack the ogres! The two of you and Isamu, conserve your magic for now! We'll use the same magic as before. Me and Anne, Karina on the right one, the rest on the left one!"

Under Nicolette's command, everyone except the three conserving their magic approached the ogres with their magic. The first to hit was a fire-based spell, followed by the wind and earth magic after a brief pause.

As the aftereffects of the wind magic gradually cleared, an unbelievable scene unfolded before them.

"What...!? Both of them are still alive!? Even though they took a direct hit!?"

Eight spells, including ancient magic, should have landed directly, yet both ogres were still in good shape. Especially the one Nicolette and the others targeted was practically unscathed.

"...Nicolette-san, do ogres use magic?"

With a serious expression, Isamu inquired.

"No, ogres can't use magic. If it were a higher-ranked Mage Ogre, then yes...! Wait, could it be!?"

Initially saying so, Nicolette's expression turned to astonishment.

"If I'm not mistaken, I saw a momentary golden light from them. That color is probably light attribute magic. I'm sure of it because I've been seeing it every day with Full Enhancement."

"Light attribute... Mother, could it be Magic Barrier!?"

Isamu, seeming to have an idea, asked Anne.

"Probably... What a surprise, it's not an ogre but a Mage Ogre..."

Agreeing with Anne's question, Nicolette's expression twisted in regret.

Mage Ogres are undoubtedly superior beings compared to ogres. They possess physical abilities equivalent to ogres while being formidable opponents skilled in magic manipulation. The kind of magic they use can vary due to individual and regional differences.

And the Magic Barrier is exactly what its name implies: a magic that protects against other magic. Although not completely nullifying or reflecting spells, it significantly weakens the power depending on the caster's magic power. It is particularly effective against magic without a physical form. Nicolette speculated that the reason the one they aimed at was almost unharmed was because Stone Hail didn't hit directly.

"Is it okay if the magic has a physical form?"

Isamu asked a question after hearing the explanation.

"Yes, it's much better if it's earth-based or ice-based, compared to fire or wind."

"...Understood. Liddell-san, Marcela-san, could you use a relatively light fire spell on them?"

Isamu asked the two.

"It's fine, but considering they endured Nicolette-sama's magic, don't expect too much effectiveness..."

"It's okay. It's just to distract and confuse them. In the meantime, I'll cast the earth-based magic I recently learned. It has decent power, but the range isn't that wide..."

Listening to Isamu's explanation, the two looked at Nicolette and nodded slightly.

"Understood. We'll make it as flashy as possible!"

"Sorry for asking the knight for a distraction, but please."

"Leave it to us!"

Liddell smiled and patted his chest as Isamu bowed his head.

"Alright, here we go!"

"Yes!"

『From nothingness, a fireball is born, turning into a blazing explosion - Fireblast!』

While being cautious for the next magic, Liddell and Marcela cast their spells at the Mage Ogres. Witnessing this, the Mage Ogres smiled distinctly. Then, muttering something, a faint golden membrane covered their bodies. The next moment, Liddell and Marcela's magic hit and exploded.

Seeing this, Isamu quickly chanted a spell.

『Thrusting spikes that defy the heavens are born from the earth - Grand Spike of Heaven and Earth!』

As Isamu finished chanting, the ground at the feet of the Mage Ogres emitted a momentary light. Then, sharp stone spikes, each about 20 centimeters in diameter, forcefully shot out from the ground.

Grand Spike of Heaven and Earth was one of the magic Isamu liked when he was reading the spell book. According to Anne's explanation, it consumed a considerable amount of magic power for the modest effect of small stone spikes sprouting. As it wasn't a flashy magic like fire or wind, but rather earth magic that utilized the ground and stones, Isamu, who favored such down-to-earth magic, frequently practiced it in addition to the ancient magic.

"Gaahhh!!"

"Gooahh!"

Screams echoed, and from the dust, a single Mage Ogre jumped out. Whether it instinctively avoided a fatal blow while flying or not, it was covered in blood but rushed towards the gate at an incredible speed.

"Damn, missed catching one!!"

As Isamu lamented, a tremendous impact struck the castle gate. The massive body of the Mage Ogre, along with the other creatures, forcefully hit the door, causing the thick gate to deform.

"Kyaaahh!!"

Isamu and the others above seemed like they were about to fall due to the impact, hastily grabbing onto the edge.

Quickly regaining their posture and looking down, they saw the Mage Ogre slightly retreating and preparing to ram the gate again.

"Damn!!"

Just as Isamu exclaimed, Orihime, perched on his right shoulder, let out her usual calm cry and turned into a golden light, flying out once again.

"Meow!"

With a small cry from Orihime, she rotated once in the air, kicked off the outer wall to accelerate, and with a trail of light, darted straight towards the Mage Ogres.

The Mage Ogre noticed the approaching ball of light and swiftly swung its hand to the side, trying to brush it away with its right hand.

"Gah!"

"Nyaaa."

As Hime let out a small sound, her trajectory changed as if it were a forkball in baseball, heading straight down. The Mage Ogre's interception ended up being a complete miss. Orihime descended rapidly, kicked off the ground to change direction, and then ascended straight towards the Mage Ogre's throat.

"Nya-nya."

Ignoring the astonished Mage Ogre, the streaks of light around its neck made two rotations. Not stopping there, Orihime, who had avoided being hit by the Mage Ogre's body, swiftly passed through the remaining orcs and goblins like a fast block-breaker ball. Finally, she landed gracefully in front of the gate.

"............"

On the top of the defensive wall, everyone watched this scene with their mouths wide open.

"Nyaaa~"

Meanwhile, Orihime, looking bored, narrowed her eyes and scratched behind her ear with her hind leg.

And then...

With a shocked expression still on his face, the Mage Ogre's head fell to the ground, and with a small tremor, its body collapsed backward onto the ground, facing away from the gate. The orcs and goblins clinging to the gate mostly had their legs cut off, rolling on the ground while making strange cries.

"That's it! Everyone, charge! Hunt down the remnants! Follow Orihime-sensei!!"

The enemies in a state to fight back were now only about a few dozen, without any Ogres. It could be considered as remnants.

Seeing this, Commander Felix gave a loud order.

"Uwaaaahhhhh!"

"Follow Sensei!"

"As expected of Sensei!"

Responding to Felix's command, the knights and soldiers, with their morale at its peak, rushed towards the gate.

"E-to-san! Please stop the scorching ground immediately!"

"O-Okay!"

In a hurry, Eto stopped the scorching ground, and the slightly deformed gate slowly opened, beginning the hunt for the remnants.

And within less than 30 minutes, there were no more moving enemies.

Leading the charge and swinging the magic sword borrowed from Isamu, Felix had been confirming the situation for a while. Finally, he raised a victory cry.

"It's our victory!!!

Everyone fought well!!!"

“””"Uwaaaaahhh!"”””

And then, the loudest cheer ever resounded through the capital city, Klaufendamm.

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